The Kindness of Strangers
by Evenstar120
Summary: Jason's a little nervous about his upcoming wedding, but when he stops a mugging, he's in for more of a surprise than he realizes - Please R and R - FINISHED!
1. Default Chapter

**The Kindness of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: Saban owns Jason, Kat, and the rest of the P.R. set. I don't own them, and as a result, I don't get paid for this. The title is part of a line from Tennesee Williams._

This fic is dedicated to my parents, who just celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary.

"Sweetie, this is the bouquet I ordered - white roses and pink tea roses with some white orchids sprinkled in." Jason yanked himself back to the present from where he had been detailing instructions for teaching a new kata to his students in his head. His fiancée held out a small jumble of sample flowers to him. "Jason?"

"I'm sorry," Jason apologized, looking at the bouquet. "It looks lovely."

Katherine Hillard nodded. "I thought so. Now for the centerpieces I ordered…"

Jason groaned inwardly. He knew that Kat was excited, and wanted to share what would be at their wedding on that coming Saturday, but the flowers were boring him to tears. Besides, they had already been ordered, and as the wedding was only two days away, Jason doubted that if he disapproved of the floral arrangements (which he knew he wouldn't - Kat had such good taste) there was anything to be done about the fact. Kat glanced over at his face. A comic expression that revealed his predicament graced Jason's features, and Kat smiled gently. "All right. I'll call Tanya, I know she'll be more interested going over this for the thousandth time. I'm sorry, I'm just so excited. You're being very patient, and I appreciate it. But if you want to go, I understand."

Jason searched Kat's face. "Are you sure? Because I will look at the centerpieces you ordered if you want."

Kat shook her head. Actually, she was semi-surprised that Jason had been so agreeable to listening in the first place, and she was willing to give him credit for that. Tanya probably had better taste in flowers anyway and would be much more enthusiastic to see what Kat had purchased. 

Relieved, Jason leaned down and kissed his fiancée. "All right then. I'll be at the dojo. Are you sure you're not upset with me leaving?"

Kat smiled. "No, go on. There will be plenty of years ahead of us for me to get even for this - a night at the ballet, perhaps? I'll spare you this time."

After making plans to meet Katherine later, Jason left Kat's apartment. Walking into the park, he began the hike across. The dojo was on the other side, and while Jason did have a car, he'd walked to Kat's apartment earlier in the day, since the weather had been so nice. Jason didn't mind. It gave him a chance to think as he meandered toward the dojo. 

As they had planned in high school, Jason and Tommy had gone into business together, creating a modest dojo with a variety of classes, ranging from training serious contenders to those who just needed a confidence boost or learned martial arts for personal enjoyment. The formula had been successful when pitted against the highly competitive dojos that existed in Angel Grove. Jason and Tommy's students that had the time, patience, and ability necessary to reach the competitive circles invariably did well, giving the dojo a good reputation, but both senseis realized that not everyone had the talent or desire to compete. Parents appreciated the fact that Tommy and Jason did not push the children to merely be competitive. Jason and Tommy only pushed each child to the best of the child's individual ability. 

Jason loved working with his advanced classes, and the incredible talent ensconced there, but he also loved his class of students where they would reach a black belt eventually from sheer hard work and determination, but did not have the athleticism to excel. Teaching them reminded him fondly of teaching Billy, who had attained his black belt after many, many training sessions, frustrations, and, grinned Jason, hands-on fighting experience. Jason felt that that type of student often taught him more than he taught them. They showed him what real tenacity was all about, and challenged him to come up with more innovative methods of teaching. 

Jason sighed. He had to admit, despite the fact that he was truly ready to get married and loved Kat more than life itself, it was only a matter of days until he threw off the mantle of 'bachelor' which he had carried proudly for twenty-five years, and the thought scared him a little. Thinking of the chronology of his relationship with the woman he loved, he remembered with a smile when he had met Kat again after she'd come home from Europe four years ago.

_"Ki-yah!" shouted Jason's white belt class in unison. _

"Very good work today," Jason congratulated his class. "Keep practicing, and I'll see you next week." He bowed to the eight young people and walked out of the classroom and into the office, wiping sweat off his brow. Tommy was sitting on the desk.

"Hey, bro," Tommy said, grinning at his business partner. "I was wondering, did you have dinner plans for tonight?"

Jason shook his head. "Nope, what's up?"

"Well, Kat's back from England, and she, Kim, and I were going to go out. I don't want her to feel awkward with just the two of us and I figured it would be good if you were willing and able to come along."

Jason nodded. Kat and Tommy had broken up amicably when she'd left for the Royal Academy in London, and soon thereafter, had reunited with Kim. No one had been particularly surprised at the development, in fact, there had been a number of murmured whispers among their immediate friends of "Finally!" Tommy had lost little time in proposing, and would be getting married to Kim in a couple of months. Kat, however, had recently broken up with a fairly serious boyfriend at the Royal Academy. While there was no chance of Kat wanting Tommy back, Jason knew it could be hard to handle an evening with a couple so much in love when you had no one. I know how that goes, he thought ruefully. He loved Kim and Tommy, but after spending any considerable length of time with only the two of them together, the ache of loneliness in his heart usually just became more pronounced. "I'd love to come, I haven't seen Kat in a long time," he replied. 

Indeed, he hadn't. Kat had grown her flaxen hair out so that it reached her waist, and while she'd been poised and graceful before her training, she was now even more so. Dinner had gone beautifully, and at the end of the evening, Jason had volunteered to walk Kat back to her house where she was staying with her parents. She kept a lively conversation going during the walk until Jason asked when she was going back to England.

A terse look flitted across Kat's face. "Actually, I'm not going back," she murmured. 

"Why?" asked Jason, a little confused. Kat loved dancing! He had been under the impression that she would be offered a position with the Royal Company when she graduated the following year. 

Kat sighed. "I got sick," she admitted. "They wanted me thin, then thinner until I finally just stopped eating. I lost the weight, but I was miserable. In short, it wasn't worth the price I would pay to keep dancing. I looked terrible, so after I dropped out, I stayed in England for a few months to gain back some of the weight so as not to upset my parents with my appearance. Once I looked better and had myself under control, I came home. I'm going to go to college and I want to become a physical therapist. I'll still dance, but on the side, for myself instead of for others."

Jason didn't know what to say. "Then you're staying here?" he finally managed to get out.

Kat nodded. "Definitely. I'm looking for an apartment right now." 

"Well," said Jason as they reached the door, "Call me if you need any help moving or if you want to do something."

Kat smiled. "Thank you," she had said as she walked into her house. "Good night, Jason."

In the following months, they had met a couple of times for coffee or dinner. Nothing Jason would have considered dating, but after nearly a year of an ever-increasing number of visits, he had suddenly realized he had begun to have feelings that were distinctly more than friendship towards her. One night, dropping her back at her apartment, he had finally summoned the courage. At her door, he leaned down and kissed her lightly. Much to his surprise, she'd responded, her body pressing closer to his. The kiss had deepened, and when they'd finally pulled apart, both had known it was love.

Jason yanked his head out of the clouds as he approached the door to the darkened dojo. Once inside, he headed for the locker room. As he kicked off his shoes and changed into his gi to work out, he was glad for the solitude. He needed it. The last week or so had been occupied by talking to what seemed like hundreds of friends and family to get ready for the wedding, and while Jason loved people, he was thoroughly tired of being social for the day. Warming up with a slow kata, Jason began to relax. His mind went from the wedding to his form, and at last, he felt better.

Once Jason had finished working out, he didn't bother changing back to his street clothes, just stripped off the jacket of his gi down to his tank top, and pulled on his shoes. Grabbing his bag and his key ring, he began the process of shutting off the lights and locking up. The warm, humid California air struck him as he walked out of the dojo. Locking the front door, he yawned. Better get some sleep, he thought ruefully. Rehearsal dinner's tomorrow night, and then its D-Day. He groaned as the jitters from before hit him again. How did he know Kat was the right one? Stop it, he told himself, you've dated this girl for nearly four years. You know she's the right one. But what if she's not? Persisted the thought. 

Jason's thinking was suddenly shattered by a shrill scream. Looking around him, he saw no one. Then the scream sounded again. It sounded like a woman. Jason hurried in the direction he had heard the sound coming from. Dashing down a darkened side street, he saw a blonde woman being held against the wall of the building by a larger man. "Hey!" shouted Jason, running toward the pair. To his horror, the woman resembled Katherine. Getting closer, he was relieved to see that it was not Kat, but the woman had an uncanny resemblance to his fiancée. "Leave her alone," Jason snarled, pulling the assailant away from the trembling woman. The thug, knowing when he was beaten, turned and fled. Jason considered going after him, but when his eyes rested upon the woman's face and took in the massive bruise near her temple, he reconsidered. Kneeling down beside her, he looked into her face. "Are you all right?" he asked gently.

Tears were flowing down her face. She nodded and then as the motion jarred her head, she sighed. "I…I don't know" she sobbed. Jason could tell she was badly shaken by the experience.

"Here," he said, carefully helping her up, "My dojo's right here, I can take a good look at your injuries, we have first aid supplies in there, and we can call the police."

The woman looked at Jason suspiciously. "I promise not to hurt you," he said, interpreting her expression. "I'm Jason, one of the teachers at the dojo."

She glanced again at him. While she was still a little nervous, the man had a calming presence that almost reminded her of her grandfather and father. "All right. My parents and fiancé are going to be pretty upset about this."

Unlocking the door to the dojo, Jason left her in a comfortable chair in the lobby to get a phone and first aid supplies. Coming back out with a towel full of ice, he handed it to her. "What happened?" he asked. In the light, the woman was younger than he'd realized, no more than her early twenties. She was still shaking, and Jason decided to try to calm her down just a little before he called the police. A son of a veteran police officer, he knew that they'd want to ask some pretty detailed questions about the attack, and that those could be hard to answer when calm, let alone still shaken and terrified.

"I'm getting married tomorrow evening." A smile crossed the girl's face at the thought. "But I got a little jittery, so I wanted to go for a walk. Angel Grove's pretty crime-free, and I thought I'd be safe, but apparently not."

"What's your name?" inquired Jason.

"Rachel. I'm named after my great-grandmother."

"Ah," said Jason with a smile. "My fiancée, Katherine, has the middle name of Rachel, from her some relative on her mom's side. What's your fiancé's name?" Jason continued with that line of questioning, noticing Rachel relaxing slightly as she talked about the man she obviously was very much in love with.

"He's named Jason," Rachel responded. Then looking at Jason, sitting beside her, she smiled, slightly amused. "Like you. And like my dad, actually. How's that for a coincidence?"

Jason nodded. "Interesting. So you were having pre-wedding jitters? I can understand, I'm getting married on Saturday."

Rachel had definitely begun to calm down. She was looking around the dojo with interest. "My dad used to own this building," she remarked. 

"Really?" asked Jason, intrigued. He had not met the previous owner of the building, only the real estate agent selling it. 

Rachel nodded. "Yep. He finally had to leave it because his business expanded too much for this smaller place. I think he'd be pleased to know that it stayed a dojo. He bought it with my uncle when he was younger, and he was pretty sad to leave it."

Jason stiffened slightly. He had not been under the impression that the building was a dojo, he remembered all the work that he and Tommy had gone to modifying it properly. However, a glance at Rachel's face showed no lie in her eyes or expression. Maybe she's just a little confused, Jason reasoned. After all, she had taken a pretty heavy blow to the head, and it was dark. Angel Grove had a number of buildings and streets that looked fairly alike. "Maybe we should go ahead and call the police," said Jason. 

"That's a good idea," said Rachel.

Jason picked up the phone. He dialed swiftly and heard a voice on the other end. "Hi, I need to report an attack on a young woman. Yes, that's right, it's Jason." He listened with a smile. Brian, his father's friend at the station was the officer who had answered the phone.

"Well, Jason," Brian said, "There's been a bit of a to-do this evening - an attempted armed robbery over at the bank, and so most of the officers are out there. I'll make sure that someone gets over to you as soon as possible, but it's going to be about an hour. 

"That's fine," answered Jason. "We're at the dojo, so it's comfortable and safe. But if you could, send someone soon. The young lady's getting married tomorrow, so let's try to have her home by midnight."

"It's ten now," confirmed Brian. "Yep, we'll make sure to do that. What a rotten night to get mugged - on the eve of your wedding." He snorted softly. "All right, Jason, take care. 'Bye."

"Well," said Jason, hanging up the phone and looking down at Rachel, "It's going to be a little longer. Sorry about that, I'm sure you're eager to go home."

"I am, but you're being very kind to stay with me and help."

Jason chuckled. "Getting married has put a lot of new things on my mind. If my wife, or - and here's a scary thought - a daughter of mine ever were in this situation, I'd hope that someone would be willing to help them."

Rachel nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem," Jason assured her. There was a silence. "I didn't know your father taught martial arts. What style?" Jason finally queried to break the quiet.

"Oh, he teaches a variety, but Shotokan Karate is his specialty. He's a fantastic teacher - he taught me a little bit of Karate, and used to talk with me about the history of the Shotokan style, but I'm pretty hopeless at martial arts."

Jason smiled, pleased to discover that she was familiar with his discipline. "So your dad went into business with his brother? That's pretty rare that you find two family members in a business like this together."

"Well," Rachel qualified her statement, "Uncle Thomas isn't exactly my dad's brother. He's actually my dad's good friend from high school. When we were born, calling him 'Mr. Oliver' seemed wrong, yet calling him just 'Thomas' felt odd too. So we just all started calling him Uncle Thomas, and it fits pretty well."

Jason nearly choked. What strange coincidence, he thought to himself.

_To be continued…comments definitely appreciated._


	2. Chapter 2

**The Kindness of Strangers, Ch. 2**

_All disclaimers in Ch.1 apply_

_Sorry this has taken so long to get out. I meant to get it done sooner, but then term papers, finals, and moving all wound up taking over my life for several weeks. Thank you to all those who submitted reviews, they were greatly appreciated!_

Rachel immediately noticed Jason's discomfiture. "Are you all right?" she asked, concern showing in her dark eyes. 

Jason coughed. "Yep," he got out. "Swallowed wrong."

Rachel nodded, her blonde hair tumbling around her face. Tucking it behind her ears, she looked at Jason. "So what's your fiancée like?"

Jason could not resist the grin that came over his features at the thought of Kat. "Well, her name is Katherine, Kat for short, and she just finished getting her qualifications to be a physical therapist. She's a kind, loving woman. As far as what she looks like, Kat's a gorgeous, graceful blonde, tall, studied classical ballet for a number of years, and she's just…" Jason trailed off. 

"Perfect?" supplied Rachel.

"Basically," said Jason, smiling. 

"Wedding jitters?" inquired Rachel.

Jason nodded. "I don't even know why," he admitted sheepishly. "I know that Kat's the one for me - I love her more than life itself…but I just can't shake the what-ifs right now."

Rachel's face went serious. "I think everyone gets pre-wedding jitters - I love Jason very much, but I still couldn't resist going out and walking off the butterflies in my stomach," she said softly, "at the same time though, I think it's more because I'm a sort of stressed out with all the planning and preparations. I would be more nervous," she went on, "but I've seen my parents all these years. They've been great role models. Dad would always tell Mom how beautiful she was every morning and how much he loved her. Mom's always done little things for Dad - sometimes she'd fix something special when she knew he was having a bad day, or she'd leave little notes in his gym bag telling him how much she loved him."

"So getting married was definitely worth it for your parents" said Jason softly. At this point, any good stories about marriage were consoling to him.

Rachel nodded. A soft smile crossed her face, tinged with just a slight amount of sorrow. "Yeah. Not that they haven't had their share of difficulties. My Mom got sick a few years ago with ovarian cancer, and Dad never left her side. I've never forgotten him carrying her from the car into the house after a chemotherapy session when she was too weak to walk. When her hair started to fall out, Mom just sat and sobbed. She felt ugly, but when she told Dad that, he just looked at her and said he'd never seen anyone more beautiful than she was. He was there during the whole thing, took care of her and all."

"That was one of my 'what-ifs'" Jason admitted quietly. "I had sort of wondered if I'd have the strength to take care of Kat if she got sick or if I'd just not be able to deal with it. I think I would, but what if…"

"I don't think any one really knows what they'll do," said Rachel thoughtfully. "But I guess if the situation comes up, you deal with it. I know my parents weren't sure what to do at first, but they did their best. Mom was declared cured three years ago, and while the whole ordeal was horribly difficult on both of them, they just kept going. They had told themselves from the beginning that they were going to be together no matter what, and they stuck to that. When Mom got sick, it wasn't a question of whether or not my father would severely reduce his class load when Mom needed someone around pretty much full time - he was going to."

"How?" asked Jason, surprised. "I mean, financially and all?" "Well, first of all, my parents had good medical insurance - with Dad being a Karate instructor, they couldn't take the chance that he'd get injured, and then not only would they be out of his income, but have hospital and doctor bills to pay as well. Apparently, one of Dad's good friends had thrown out his back when he was younger and had to quit martial arts. Then they'd saved money since they'd first gotten married, so when Dad quit teaching for the year except for his very advanced class, it was a little tighter than usual, but he knew he'd have a job to come back to - Uncle Thomas made sure of that - and Mom needed him. Dad would just tell anyone that asked him how he could just take a year off that Katherine - my mom - came first."

"Wow," muttered Jason. "There's dedication for you."

"Yep," replied Rachel. "When they said 'For better or for worse' they meant it."

Feeling mildly uncomfortable, Jason decided to change the subject. It was all too coincidental. A mother named Katherine? Jason had seen some strange things before, but he just couldn't believe that… He cleared the thought from his mind and went on. "What's your fiancé like?"

"Jason's wonderful. It was a little weird when we started dating, considering how close our parents are. He's my 'Uncle' Thomas' son, named for my father actually, and I think it seemed a little crazy to both sets of parents." Rachel laughed. "It's been murder explaining that we aren't actually cousins. By the time that Jason and I started dating, we were eighteen, and he'd been calling my dad "Uncle Jason" and I'd been calling his dad "Uncle Thomas" for so many years that it was a pretty much unbreakable habit."

"Uh, huh," said Jason, the strange prickling on his spine coming back in force. As he was about to open his mouth again, he heard the door open. 

"Jason!" One of the police officers Jason vaguely remembered as Kevin greeted him. "This the young lady?"

Jason nodded. The officers went over to Rachel. "We'll have to take you down to the station for questioning, but it shouldn't take too long. Heard you have a wedding tomorrow - congratulations, by the way." 

"Thanks," replied Rachel. Walking over to Jason, she offered her hand. Jason took it, and as he did, he felt her squeeze it lightly. "Good luck," she said softly. "I know you and Katherine will be happy together."

Jason heard the note of authority in her voice, and as he released her hand, he said "Good luck to you too, Rachel - I didn't catch your last name."

Rachel smiled slightly. "Rachel Scott," she said quietly. Turning, she walked toward the waiting policemen and just before she was escorted out the door, turned back to Jason. "Thank you, Jason Lee."

Before Jason could stop her, she was gone. Now the tingling that had been racing along his spine caused him to sink into the nearest chair. He knew he'd never told her his middle name. 

~*~

"Owwww" moaned Rachel softly, feeling hands helping her up.

"Rachel, are you all right?" asked someone.

"I think so," muttered Rachel, touching her aching head. 

"You're a very lucky young lady," came the voice again. "You don't seem to have been hurt too badly. Hell, I've never seen a mugger run so fast, actually."

"Huh?" said Rachel, suddenly recollecting what had happened. "Where's Dad?"

The police officer sighed. He knew Rachel Scott from having taken several classes at her father's dojo, but he wondered at her words if she had been hit harder in the head than he'd previously thought. "Rachel, what are you talking about?"

"Dad! He was here! He was much younger but he stopped the mugger…"

The officer sighed, feeling a tearing at his heart. Jason Scott had been a good man. "Rachel, your father, God rest his soul, died nearly a year ago."

~*~

"Good grief" Jason heard someone chuckle, "Sleeping in the dojo, huh? You're going to have to cut that out - you'll have a wife to go home to after tomorrow."

Opening his eyes, Jason, squinted at the bright light, and then focused on Tommy, who was continuing to laugh. Without a word, he suddenly grabbed the telephone that was lying beside him. Dialing, much to Tommy's bemusement, Jason heard the person on the other end answer. 

"Angel Grove Police Department, this is Brian."

"Brian, good morning. I just wanted to check that the young woman who got mugged outside my dojo last night was all right."

"What?" asked Brian.

"Rachel, her name was Rachel Scott. I called in to report that she had gotten mugged."

"I don't know what in the world you're talking about. We never were out by your dojo last night. It was a madhouse all last night - a bank robbery and all, but I know we never had anyone named Rachel Scott come in."

"Are you sure? Tall, blonde, dark eyes? Getting married today?"

"I'd remember that," chuckled Brian, "but we definitely didn't have anyone by that description come in."

"Thank you," muttered Jason, and hung up. 

"What was that all about?" inquired Tommy. "And what's the phone doing out here?"

__

To be continued

Like it? Hate it? Comments are, as always, appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

_All disclaimers in previous chapters apply. The short version: I don't own them, never have, and sadly, never will._

Thank you to everyone who's submitted reviews! They really make my day! 

Rachel Scott blinked as the morning sunlight streamed through her windows. Sitting up slowly, she winced to herself. She definitely had a headache. _Must have hit me harder than I thought_. Grabbing her robe off the post of her bed, she walked into the kitchen, where her mother was sitting at the table drinking a mug of tea. 

"Good morning, sweetheart," said Katherine Hillard Scott looking up at her daughter proudly and feeling at once a thrill of excitement and pride as well as a pang of sadness. _If only Jase could be here,_ she mused silently. _He'd be so proud of her, and he'd be so happy to know whom she's marrying._ While Jason had been alive when Rachel and Jason Oliver had begun dating, he had died shortly before their engagement. Tears pricked Katherine's eyes at the memory of her husband. Before the sadness engulfed her though, she forced herself to remember the joyful event that would be taking place that afternoon. "Are you feeling better? Remember, when you get back from your honeymoon, the police are going to want to take a few more statements on the guy who tried to mug you last night." 

"I know, and I'm fine except for a mild headache. Mom," said Rachel, a nervous smile crossing her face, "I'm getting MARRIED! I can't believe it! We've been planning, working, and dreaming about this wedding for nearly a year now, and it's finally here!" With a shiver of anticipation, Rachel grabbed a mug, poured herself hot water, dunked a teabag into it, and sat down opposite her mother. 

"Oh, honey, you and your Jason will be so happy together," said Katherine, reaching out to smooth her daughter's sleep-mussed hair. Rachel was a bona fide blonde like Katherine, but her dark eyes could only have been attributed to her father. "I wish your father could walk you down the aisle in that lovely white gown, and see you exchange your vows. He loved you very much, darling."

Rachel sighed softly. _Should I tell Mom about that strange…dream?…I had when I was out? Or would it just upset her?_ "I know Dad would approve," she said cautiously. "I can't help but feel that he's watching over us right now." _He was watching over me last night._ She did not share that thought out loud. 

"I'm sure he is," said Katherine, a bittersweet smile crossing her face and memories flowing through her head. Aloud, after a quick glance at the clock, she gasped. "Hon, it's nine o'clock already and we're sitting here in our pajamas! We have to be at the hairdresser's in forty-five minutes, and we have to drop your gown and veil off at the church before so that you'll have those there for the photos!"

Both women got up from the table, and after dumping the mugs into the sink to be washed later, Rachel hurried for the shower, and Katherine proceeded to hurry around the house waking up her two sons who were home for their sister's wedding, then retreating to her own room to dress. 

~*~

"Did you ever find out what happened to that girl you were raving about being mugged the other morning?" asked Tommy, tugging on his tuxedo jacket, making sure it was in place. 

"Nope," replied Jason, knowing that if he told Tommy who he actually thought Rachel was, Tommy would probably think Jason was going a bit crazy. _Who else, though, would have a mother named Katherine, a father named Jason who teaches Shotokan Karate, an 'Uncle' Thomas that is her father's best friend and not to mention, look like Katherine so much except for the eyes?_

"Are you nervous?"

Jason adjusted his tie. _I know you and Katherine will be happy together._ The words Rachel had said echoed in his mind. Jason smiled silently at that, and then turned to Tommy. "Nah. I love Katherine with all my heart, and I know that this is the right decision."

Tommy reached out wordlessly and hugged his best friend. "Good." A mischievous smile played across his lips a moment later. "I'd hate to have to catch you if you fainted from nervousness," he teased. 

Jason turned a good-natured grin on him. "Oh, shut up," he mock-growled. 

"Jase! Jason!" an excited voice said from the doorway. Tommy and Jason turned to see Kimberly Oliver standing there in a light pink bridesmaid's dress. In an instant, she had crossed the room to where they were standing and embraced Jason tightly. "Congratulations, Jase. Kat's a wonderful woman, and I'm so happy for you two." When she had let him go, she stood back. "Don't you guys look handsome! What I actually came to tell you was that they're nearly ready to start, so you need to go up there."

Tommy clapped Jason on the back. "Don't keep the lady waiting."

"Advice to live by," chuckled Jason. Following Kim, he went up the stairs and into the sanctuary of the church. Standing in front of the altar, he tried not to fidget. 

The music started. First down the aisle walked Tommy and Kim, best man and bridesmaid respectively. Jason stared at the back of the church where now, in the doorway, stood the bride. As the wedding march began, she came forward slowly on her father's arm. Jason could hardly move as all of a sudden, everything in the church seemed to disappear except for the lovely woman. Katherine's flowing train stretched out behind her, her face veiled. As she and her father came to the altar, her father reached over, gently lifted his daughter's veil, and kissed Katherine on the cheek. Lowering the veil, he put her hand in Jason's and the ceremony began.

Jason swallowed hard, trying to rid himself of the lump in his throat as the minister turned to him and asked him for his vow. "I, Jason Lee Scott" he began, pausing for just an instant. "Take thee, Katherine Rachel Hillard, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward…" Katherine's face was radiant as he continued: "For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness…" As looked into the blue eyes sparkling with tears of joy, he continued. "And in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance of matrimony, I give thee my promise."

Katherine repeated her vow, love shining in her eyes. Out among the assembled friends and family, there was barely a dry eye in the house as the couple exchanged rings, and then, at last, as Jason lifted the veil. Leaning in, he kissed his beautiful new wife.

~*~

Rachel Scott, soon to become Rachel Oliver adjusted her veil at the back of the church. Her mother stood beside her. "Ready, sweetheart?" Katherine inquired. 

Rachel nodded. "Mom," she said suddenly, not sure what impetus was moving her to say so, "Dad loved you so much. He…he said so."

Katherine turned an absolutely ghostly white. "Y…your father?" She swayed slightly, and Rachel put an arm around her mother's waist to steady Katherine. 

"In the alley," whispered Rachel "I had this strange dream that he was there, but he was very young, and…" she stopped for an instant. Katherine weakly nodded Rachel to go on. "He took care of me, called the police, and we talked. He was set to marry you in a day or two, and…"

Katherine smiled, despite the well of sadness that she felt at thinking of Jason. She missed him deeply. Her prayers and thoughts as they had prepared for Rachel's wedding were often on him. _I wished,_ she thought, a chill tickling her spine, _that I could just feel his love one more time. _

"He told me," continued Rachel, "that you were the most kind and loving woman, and you could see the love shining in his eyes as he talked about you." A tear trickled down her cheek. "I wished, all through my engagement, that I could just see Dad one more time. I didn't care how, I didn't care why."

Katherine looked at her daughter. "I think your wishes came true," she said shakily. "As did my wish. Right now, with what you said. I have no doubt that the dream or whatever it was, was your chance to see him one last time before you start your new life." Mother and daughter embraced hard, and as they let each other go, the first strains of the wedding march sounded. Carefully taking her daughter on her arm, Katherine began to walk with Rachel down the aisle toward the altar and the waiting groom. 

~*~

Gently stroking Katherine's silky blonde hair, Jason looked down at his new wife tenderly. Katherine's head was resting against his bare chest, and her arms slipped around his neck and shoulder. "Jase," she said finally, "this is wonderful."

"It's only going to get better, Kitten. Especially when there are some little ones running around the house" Jason said, adjusting so that he could see Katherine's face. 

Katherine grinned teasingly at her husband. "I can just see you with a couple of babies on your arms, the fearless former Ranger changing diapers…" 

Jason laughed. "We'll have to name one of them Thomas and one of them William…" he said, sneaking a glance at Katherine. 

"Hey! Don't you want any girls?"

"Well, of course," said Jason. "Any name suggestions?"

"Ah, I never thought you'd ask. I'd love to name a girl after my grandmother. What do you think of 'Rachel'?"

_Comments always welcome…_


End file.
